Cool Climate Wines From A Pretty Warm Place
It’s the defining quality of our site: our wines profile as cool climate, but like many vineyards in the Okanagan it’s anything but cool here during the growing season. But with the moderating effect of the lake to our east, and shade from the mountain to our west, our vines retain the freshness and acidity characteristic of cool climate wines. It’s like they don’t know it’s 35°C a lot of days.
Our Cool-Climate Still Wines
With 30 acres planted to vines, and seven varietals in the vineyard, we make ten still wines at Fitz: eight varietal wines and two blends.
Big Leap Chardonnay
The first dream we had as winegrowers was to produce great Chardonnay. It was 1987. To do that, we had to pull up every last vine we had, and replant new French ones. At the time, no one really knew for sure that great Okanagan wine was even possible. It was a big leap. But we took it.
The Unwinder Ehrenfelser
No grape in our vineyard loves sun like Ehrenfelser. It basks in the August heat, soaking up the light while its tropical flavours deepen and intensify. So it’s no coincidence that the wine is most at home on hot, lazy days—paired perfectly with an advanced state of relaxation.
Interloper GewÜrztraminer
Our discerning, resident bear loves Gewϋrztraminer. She picks perfectly ripe clusters from the vine with the same care we do, and then makes short work of them. We, on the other hand, gently press ours, and then use a long, cool ferment to preserve all their beautiful flavour. To each their own.
Pink Mile Rosé
Our Rosé’s delicate pinkish colour evokes our vineyard’s century-old legacy as a peach orchard, where the blossoms stretched for a pink mile each spring. It was these peaches that attracted us here in the 1940s with Mac & Fitz, the family packing house. So memorable, here we are eight decades later.
The Lookout Riesling
Perched above our Riesling block, an osprey keeps a sharp eye on the comings and goings at the winery. She’d notice, then, we keep a very close eye on that block, monitoring sugar levels to find a perfect balance between ripeness and acidity. It’s possible we’re out eagle-eyeing a hawk.
Sudden Inversion Meritage
The warm air rising off Okanagan Lake creates very bumpy air for local pilots. It also warms our vineyard, but not quite enough to ripen the “big reds.” So we turned the Valley upside down to find perfect fruit for our Meritage. Rich, ripe and smooth. If we want bumps, we’ll rent a plane.
Runabout White
There’s something classic about a good white blend. The kind you toss in the cooler in the back of the boat on your way across the lake to visit friends. We have been refining that art for decades now, and they always seem to be welcome on any table. Or bow.
The Elusive Pinot Noir
The pursuit of the perfect Pinot Noir is as near-impossible as the one for Ogopogo who, according to legend, lives just across the lake from here. But after 20 years of hand-holding the famously thin-skinned grape from vine to bottle, it’s much less mysterious. Ogopogo? Still pretty mysterious.
The Lava Bomb Gamay
55 million years ago, a chain of volcanoes on the west side of the Okanagan Lake erupted, scattering lava bombs - also known as cannonballs - around the region. This same region is also home to our Gamay grapes. Bursting with flavour, our lava Bomb Gamay pays tribute to our local geology.
The Mischief Pinot Blanc
A strong southerly wind blows in our vineyard, and sometimes it creates a little mischief. But all that air circulation is ideal for our Pinot Blanc vines. It keeps them warm, healthy and happy, and there is something undeniably beautiful about grape leaves blowing in the wind. Just hold onto your hat.